ANSONIA – Tom Egan said he can fix Ansonia by moving past party politics.
“I just want to fix this city. I don’t care about the Democrats or Republicans,” Egan told The Valley Indy Oct. 7.
Egan, 37, is a lawyer running for mayor as a petitioning candidate. He previously ran on the Democratic line for mayor in 2023, and on the Independent Party line for state representative in 2024. Both runs were unsuccessful.
He is now running against incumbent Republican Mayor David Cassetti and Democratic candidate Frank Tyszka.
Egan, like Cassetti and Tyszka, said the former Ansonia Copper & Brass property downtown is the key to Ansonia’s revitalization. He said he wants to bring green energy and solar panel manufacturing to the site.
“Ansonia is a manufacturing town. It’s in their blood, and we’ve got to get those machines up and running to help power the next generation,” Egan said.
Egan said U.S. President Donald Trump’s global wave of tariffs has brought manufacturing back to the country. Egan said he can attract manufacturers to Ansonia with the help of tariffs.
“I don’t know how long these tariffs are going to last for, but they are bringing back American manufacturing, and I’m thankful for that,” Egan said. “How do I fix Ansonia, or revitalize the city? Bring in the jobs. Bring in the manufacturing that will bring in tax revenue, that will in turn cut down the property taxes of everybody in Ansonia.”
Click here for mainstream news outlet stories on Trump’s tariffs.
Egan said bringing in new businesses at Copper & Brass will allow the city to stop relying on one-time proceeds, such as the sale of its sewer system in 2024, to fund annual budgets.
“We have sold off the WPCA and abused that to fund the city’s budget for the last three years,” Egan said.
Egan sent The Valley Indy a 65-page document outlining his plans for Ansonia Copper & Brass. He said he would also like to bring an incubator space there, where businesses can rent office space on a daily or hourly basis.
Egan said he plans to secure up to $150 million in investment funds through conversations with international firms including Cosmostring Ventures and the International Strategists Alliance, a non-governmental consulting organization under the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
The Valley Indy sent a message requesting comment to an email associated with International Strategists Alliance. Cosmostring has no contact information listed on their website, and a search of online domain registration records did not provide any contact information.
Egan said he’d also get to work on bringing a new grocery store to town if elected.
“The first thing I’d do if I’m elected is go to all the little local supermarkets here in Connecticut and ask them, what’s it going to take to get a new supermarket in here? Derby has two, Seymour has one, Ansonia has none,” Egan said.
He said he would re-form an economic development commission and form a networking group for Ansonia business leaders to connect.
“This, in turn, helps centralize the wealth in Ansonia and helps Ansonia residents grow,” Egan said. “And likewise, as businesses grow, so does the tax revenue.”
Egan kicked off his campaign in late July, his second shot at the city’s top job. In his 2023 campaign, where he ran with the Democratic Party’s endorsement, he lost to Cassetti by a margin of 2,676 votes to 741.
However, that campaign was mired by the fact that Egan and the local Democratic Party weren’t talking to each other. Town committee chair Dave Hannon said the party pulled resources from Egan because Egan wasn’t campaigning. Egan said Hannon simply didn’t see his campaign work.
In 2024, after Cassetti challenged state Rep. Kara Rochelle for her seat representing the 104th District, Egan entered the race on the Independent Party ticket. Rochelle comfortably won, scoring 5,042 votes to Cassetti’s 4,176. Egan came in a distant third, with 118 votes.
Democrats in that race accused Cassetti’s campaign of recruiting Egan to run as a third-party candidate in order to siphon votes from Rochelle.
Egan said he is now working on building a new political group in Ansonia outside of the Democratic or Republican parties, and that he’s sick of the partisan divide. He said he would like to form a local chapter of the state Independent Party.
He also said he’s continuing to work on getting his proposals heard, regardless of the election. He said he’s sent his 65-page Copper & Brass development plan to the Ansonia Board of Aldermen ahead of their Oct. 14 meeting.
Election Day is Nov. 4.